


Hard to Let Go

by icandrawamoth



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: X-Wing Series - Aaron Allston & Michael Stackpole
Genre: Advice, Conversations, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Minor Wedge Antilles/Luke Skywalker, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 06:24:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14207052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icandrawamoth/pseuds/icandrawamoth
Summary: Wedge struggles with how to best help Face deal with losing Phanan. Wes has some good advice.





	Hard to Let Go

**Author's Note:**

> Set early in chapter thirteen of Iron Fist; the first line of dialogue is taken directly from the book.

As soon as Wedge is done debriefing Face on what happened on Halmad and the grieving man has retreated, he calls in his executive officer. Wing assignments need to be rearranged, Ton Phanan's duties in the squadron taken care of. Lara Notsil will be Face's new wingman as well as the Wraiths' replacement medic. “And ask her to keep an eye on him,” Wedge finishes, “to watch out for signs of undue distress or any sort of overreaction to Phanan's death.”

“Depends on what you mean by 'overreaction,'” Wes says.

“Pardon?”

“You debriefed him. Did he seem like a man who'd just watched his best friend die?”

Wedge frowns. “Of course. What are you saying?”

“Only his best friend? Nothing more?”

Wedge glances back the at empty doorway as if he can get a read on the man who's already gone. “You think Face and Phanan were involved?” They certainly hadn't shown it publicly if they were.

“I don't, no. But I think they wanted to be. Or at least Face did.”

“What makes you say that?”

Wes crosses his arms and leans on the doorjamb. “Just the way he acted. They were best friends, sure, really close, but there was this sense of something else in the way Face looked at Phanan. Fondness, protectiveness. I'm surprised you didn't notice.” Wes pins Wedge with a look, amusement ghosting across his face. “He's been acting exactly the way you did back on Yavin before Luke finally made a move on you. Maybe a little subtler.”

“He is a trained actor,” Wedge agrees distantly, the wheels of his mind turning. “If you're right...” he stands. “I should go talk to him.”

“No.” Wes strides forward, leaning over Wedge's desk. “Imagine if it were Luke, Wedge. Imagine if it were you. Would you have wanted Commander Narra to be the person talking to you about it?”

Wedge sinks back into his chair. “No.”

“Then who?”

“You. Or Tycho. Or Hobbie.”

Wes nods. “That's right. You're Face's commander, not his friend. He has people here to ask for help when he's ready.”

“A good commander should be a friend to his men.”

“Others would say you should maintain a level of professional detachment. You might have agreed with that yourself not so long ago.”

Wedge sighs, slumping in his chair. “You're not wrong. That was never really what I wanted, though. It's hard to see them hurting, Wes.”

“You think I don't know that? Talon Squadron and Myn Donos ring any bells?”

Wedge winces. “Of course. Sorry.”

Wes waves the comment away, pulling the other chair over to the desk and dropping into it. “We have to understand that they're not our kids. If they need us, we're here, but we have to leave it up to them to know they need and seek it out.”

“You said to imagine it was Luke and me.” Wedge shivers, remembering all the times that loss had come so close to being reality. But at least he and Luke would have known what they were to each other. “I know what I'd be thinking right now. I'd be beating myself up over not being able to save him, over not having told him how I felt. I'd be reliving those moments over and over – gods, Wes, I can't even imagine what that must have been like for him. I'd hate it, but I'd need someone to pull me out of that spiral.”

“Not everyone is like you, Wedge.” Wes's words are gentle, but his gaze is steady. “And even if Face is, my previous point stands. He's only just gotten back, so it's all incredibly fresh. Give him time. If the situation looks like it needs an intervention from you, you can step in later.”

Wedge manages a small smile. “It's times like this I remember why I keep you around even when you're conspiring with the others to give me gray hairs.”

Wes stands, stretching with a smile of his own. “Consider it me pulling you out of your spiral, boss.”

He's gone before Wedge can reply, but that's fine. He doesn't really know how to voice his gratitude anyway.


End file.
